Rainwater-Harvesting
Schools
PitchAfrica has developed a school
building concept for disadvantaged communities in semi-arid regions that provides
clean water year round and imparts sustainability lessons.

ENVIRONMENTAL
According to UNEP, there is 13 times the
amount of rain falling in Africa than is
1
needed by its population .

SOCIAL
According to WHO, 40 billion work hours
are lost every year in Africa because of the
need to collect water.

ECONOMIC
Waterbank schools can be built for the
same cost as conventional schools,
using locally available materials and local
expertise.

Waterbank schools are low-cost rainwater-harvesting school
buildings comprising a large roof, a central underground cistern,
and an integrated ceramic water filtration system providing clean
water and food year round. The school buildings integrate community spaces with a wide range of school needs: classrooms, offices, dormitories, canteens, and sport-courts. The first Waterbank
school, built in Kenya, captures, stores, and filters 350,000 liters of
water a year. Since opening, attendance has risen by 25% to 95%
and instances of waterborne disease have dropped to zero among
pupils.
Why a Sustainia100 solution?
The majority of the 345 million people in Africa without access to clean water live in
regions with inadequate rainfall. The World Bank estimates that 200,000 classrooms
need to be built in sub-Saharan Africa each year. Waterbank schools place a sustainable supply of clean water at the heart of the school, improving children’s health, while
educating them about sustainable lifestyles and practices.

Developed in
USA
Deployed in Kenya,
Senegal, Malawi

A Waterbank school
costs the same as a
conventional school but
provides triple the space
and harvests 350,000
liters of clean water
annually.

“A WATERBANK SCHOOL
ENLISTS THE RAIN TO
TRANSFORM A CHILD’S
HEALTH, EDUCATION AND
THE FUTURE OF THEIR
COMMUNITY.“
JANE HARRISON,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PITCHAFRICA